Jazzie is a Beagle/Dachshund mix we adopted through Friends of Homeless Animals in Rhode Island, pictured here at nine months old. She originally came from a kill shelter in Texas and has brought an incredible amount of joy into our lives since the moment we picked her up on Dec. 23. She is playful, loving, athletic, happy and smart! She has learned to ring a bell to go outside and, among many other tricks she has mastered, she is working on the art of “Put your toys away.”

Since we had so many names we were considering during our first week with her, we wrote each name on a piece of paper, crumpled them all up and tossed them onto the floor — the first one she ran to became her name, Jazzie! Of course, while we did not intend it, she has somehow become “Jasmine” when we need to be stern.

Sheila Riffle & Linda Iacobellis

Old Lyme

My Pet Pal is a reader-submitted feature that highlights local residents and their favorite furry, feathery or scaly friends. Send a photo of you and your pet, along with a short description of what makes them a great companion, your name and what town you live in to times@theday.com. Include “pet pal” in the subject line.